Organise Your Kitchen For Christmas

 Whether you’re using your kitchen for cooking a festive family dinner or throwing a Christmas party for friends, clever storage solutions, seating and table arrangements will make your life a lot easier! One of the best ways to start is to replenish your kitchen basics. We tend to take for granted the everyday things such as salt & pepper, tea towels, and standard utensils, but these are the crux of a well-run kitchen. You will need lots of pots and pans, in a choice of sizes for cooking larger meals, especially when entertaining. Do a stock take and see if you need to add any to your collection, or replace old ones. Make sure you have all the basics covered, and invest in new pieces that you have needed for a while.

Clear The Counter Tops

The next part is vital, before Christmas in the kitchen starts you must de-cutter. Over the year we accumulate lots of stuff in the kitchen from never to be used spices to too many Tupperware containers, be ruthless and clear out anything you haven’t used in 6 months and know you won’t use in the festive period. The most common items that clutter up these flat surfaces are everyday essentials such as wallets, keys, glasses, bags etc; as well as paperwork and daily mail.

If time is limited (as it usually is during the busy season), find a temporary home elsewhere for these items – in a decorative basket, box, or in-tray – to provide yourself with more kitchen prep space. This will come in very handy when you’re preparing dishes, baking treats to give as presents, wrapping presents, or writing cards.

Re-Order Your Fridge

 Be sure to re-order and clear enough space in your fridge – it may be an obvious one but it’s a common problem when we’re prone to over purchasing during the festive season.

You’re going to need to plenty of room to accommodate the big Christmas shop and for all those extra dishes that family and friends bring. There’s nothing worse than hiding festive foods around the house which create unnecessary clutter!  In the lead-up to a party or Christmas Day, try and use up as many of the fridge supplies as possible to create extra storage space.

 If your roast bird is taking up too much space in your fridge, find a spot in your home that’ll keep your bulky drinks cartons and bottles chilled. A cold utility room or even your garage are good options to keep that festive fizz crisp.

Defrost your freezer to create space and enhance its ability to keep food frozen.

Get The Timing Right

There’s so much to do over Christmas, but even the busiest cook should have some time to enjoy the festivities, so why not do some of the cooking ahead of the big event? There’s absolutely no need to peel veg or whisk up sauces on Christmas morning.

Take the stress out of juggling cooking times by preparing a schedule in advance.  There are lots of useful tips and step-by-step guides online.  There are even apps you can download to help;

By selecting the dishes to cook, including everything from the Christmas turkey through to the compulsory sprouts, the App will automatically work out what needs to be done and when, providing users with a full timetable for preparing all the different elements and cooking the meal. The App will even give reminders to ensure the meal runs smoothly, such as making sure the turkey is fully defrosted and basted regularly, or when to start boiling the spuds.

Christmas is a time to be spent with your loved ones. What better way to get into the festive spirit than to prepare the dinner together? Don’t let one person in your family slave away in the kitchen while you enjoy the day; assign each other tasks for the Christmas dinner and it’ll make eating it all that more special and rewarding.

Please Take Your Seats

If your dining room is big enough, or you have an interconnecting room, seat children and adults at separate tables to solve the space issue. This allows kids to hang out with their friends and escape boring adult talk but still feel like you’re dining together.

 Grab every fold-up chair, kitchen stool or recliner you can! Cram everyone around your table and forget the fanciful look – Christmas dinner is all about the food and the people, not the décor

If you haven’t got the space to serve a dozen people a three-course meal, then turn the evening into a socialising soiree. Offer platters of bite size food (so much easier to prepare than a big bird) and finish it off with a few flutes of Champagne.

Deck the halls with festive cheer

Creating a friendly, welcoming and festive ambience at Christmas should not be too difficult, as most people are merry this time of year anyway. However, the best way to avoid hangry guests and the infamous fall-out over charades is to splash a bit of festive cheer over the room. This can be achieved by filling your kitchen and dining area with scented candles – consider aromas such as spiced fig, mulled wine and cider, freshly baked cookies, pine and cinnamon – and playing some timeless Christmas classics throughout the day.

Make Clean Up A Breeze

There’s no doubt that celebrations of any kind create a mess, and here’s where having an organised kitchen can make clean-up quicker and less painful!

Have a stack of clean tea-towels ready to go, and stock up on your cleaning supplies – dishwasher tablets/powder, washing-up gloves, dishwashing liquid, sponges and bin bags.

Make sure the dishwasher has been emptied before guests arrive. Clear those countertops so you can stack dirty dishes near the sink, and also lay down a tea-towel to hold extra dishes that you’ve hand-washed.

Just a few simple adjustments in your kitchen can really make the whole day run more smoothly and minimize your stress so you can actually enjoy the celebrations!

Merry Christmas

× How can I help you?